Aaron D. Bannett, 93, transplant pioneer in Philadelphia

Aaron D. Bannett, 93, of Philadelphia, a surgical pioneer who helped lead the field of organ transplantation into the 20th century, died Wednesday, March 22, of respiratory failure at his Center City home.

Dr. Bannett was an expert in organ transplantation and vascular surgery. He had mastered the technique of vascular grafting, the sewing of blood vessels, at the side of two of the field's great transplant surgeons – Michael E. DeBakey and Denton Cooley of Houston.

In 1965 and 1966, drawing on his new skills, Dr. Bannett performed one of the first kidney transplants in the Philadelphia area at Albert Einstein Medical Center. At that time, kidney transplants also were being done at Hahnemann University Hospital and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, but the fledgling work was being criticized by the medical community because of high patient mortality.

John J. Downes, professor emeritus of anesthesiology, critical-care medicine and pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania said: "I have great respect for Aaron at Einstein, and Clyde Barker at Penn, who persisted with kidney transplantation when so many others said it was madness because so many died early after transplant.

"Aaron and Clyde eventually proved they were right, and thousands of persons with kidney failure now live normal lives for many years because in the 1960s and early 1970s, Aaron and Clyde hung in there until effective immunosuppressant drugs were developed."

In 1966, Dr. Bannett established the Organ Transplant Program at Einstein and served as the program's director until 1989. He also was Einstein's chairman of surgery from 1972 to 1979. During his tenure, Einstein became a center for kidney, pancreas, and liver transplants.

In 1984, seeking a way to support transplantation patients after surgery, Dr. Bannett created the Transplant Institute of Philadelphia at Einstein. The institute took a holistic approach to patient care and recovery, in keeping with Dr. Bannett's belief that ministering to patients' overall well-being and mental outlook were crucial for a successful medical outcome.

As part of his research work at the institute, Dr. Bannett helped lay the groundwork for the transplantation of ABO incompatible kidneys and began performing such operations. The medical procedure enabled patients to receive a kidney from a living donor whose blood type did not match their own. The advance meant that doctors treating patients in need of a kidney had a wider pool of donors to choose from; the patients themselves had to spend less time on a waiting list.

During the early years of organ transplantation in Philadelphia, Dr. Bannett and Dr. Barker recognized that there needed to be a fair and efficient method of gathering and allocating donated organs. In 1974, after a year of discussion, the two men founded the Delaware Valley Transplant Program, one of the largest procurement programs in the nation. It is now called the Gift of Life Donor Program.

A year later, in 1975, Dr. Bannett created the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

In addition to his affiliation with Einstein, he was chairman of the surgery department at Episcopal Hospital, a clinical professor of surgery at Temple University Hospital, and he continued teaching classes at Jefferson Medical College until he was 80.

After retiring in 1989, Dr. Bannett traveled with his wife, Joy, to Sumatra, Thailand, Japan, and Israel, where he taught surgery to medical colleagues and helped them develop workshops on organ preservation, immune system suppression, and donor compatibility issues.

Born and reared in South Philadelphia, Dr. Bannett earned a bachelor's degree from La Salle College, a master of business administration degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a medical degree from Jefferson Medical College.

His friend John V.R. Bull, a former assistant to the editor of the Inquirer, said Dr. Bannett considered one of his finest achievements the creation of a ROMEO group — Retired Old Men Eating Out. About two decades old, the Philadelphia group consists of 15 prominent — and not so prominent — men who meet once a month for lunch and conversation.

"He definitely enjoyed the discussion," said his son Michael. "They would have a speaker each month on a different topic — the news or climate change, or something. You had to come ready with your reading."

Dr. Bannett also liked playing competitive contract bridge, reading, going to the theater, and listening to jazz.

Besides his wife and son, he is survived by another son, Jonathan; stepchildren Ben Allanoff and Nancy Braveman; 10 grandchildren; and a sister. His first wife, BettyAnn Bannett, died in 1981. Another sister and a stepson, Daniel B. Allanoff, also died earlier.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, March 26, at the Gift of Life Donor Program building, 401 N. Third Street, Philadelphia. Shiva will follow at his residence until 8 p.m. Burial is private.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Gift of Life Foundation via www.donors1.org/bannett or to the Daniel B. Allanoff Foundation via www.danielallanofffoundation.com.